LWA, Long Letters and the Library

I've already mentioned the Letter Writer's Alliance a few times here on TMP, but I couldn't pass up the chance to include them in my postal themed A-Z!!!

I've been a member since 13 September, 2011!

I got a letter from Donovan just last week and I LOVE her sense of humor!  I have to write back ASAP.  My time is pretty spliced at the moment, and if I'm to succeed at some of my major long term goals, I have to acknowledge that MOST of my time in an average day isn't my own, at least for a while.

But I am still making time for the things that matter to me.  I'm still working hard, knowing that while I will never be a perfect person, I can perfect some of the facets of my life to be better versions of themselves.  Things like... writing back in a timely manner, for example!

Are you an LWA member?  I've met a few pen pals via LetterMo who are!  If you are not, you should definitely consider it.  A lifetime membership costs less than a movie ticket.  Check out the blog HERE.

Now on to the second part: long letters.  Am I the only one who can't bring myself to send a postcard sometimes because there just isn't room to do the correspondence I want to convey enough justice?  Please tell me I'm not the only person who habitually, after filling up both sides of a blank card's inside, carries over to a second 7th or 8th page??  Granted, a lot of times my additional "pages" are cut down to the size of the card, so they aren't full sheets.  But still.

Of course, a logical train of thought would be that if I didn't let so much time elapse between letters, I wouldn't have so much to try and write about all in one sitting, and therefore the letter would be shorter than the paperback novels unauthorized autobiographies pleasantly lengthy epistles I end up penning and trying to process through the mail system within the 3 oz limit.  It may be that I'm just frugal with my stamp money.  After all, it's limited and strictly budgeted, so I try to get as much news and pieces of life to the recipient as the $0.46 allows!  Maybe that's the real reason about the "doesn't send postcards".  I'm more apt to send a blank postcard enclosed with a 3 page letter to a pen pal than to send the postcard by itself.

Anyway.
Here is a fantastic children's book that we love called "The Long, Long Letter."

It's very cute.  Go grab it at a library near you.  Don't know where your closest one is?  Use this handy Locator!  :)
The Dog River Library is one of my favorite places to write letters.  It's quiet (well, duh!), and a lot of times I use their copier to keep a copy of my outgoing (see my explanation of this in yesterday's post.) because it ends up being cheaper than having to continually buy new cartridges for my ink guzzling printer at home.  It's also a great place to write letters, because I'm an avid reader and a lot of my pen pals are too, so they are always asking what I've read recently or ask me to recommend favorite books.  Rather convenient to simply look in my bag at what I've just checked out or am returning! ;)

Source

Did you honestly think that I could go more than 5 blog posts without working in a reference to Jane Austen?  Silly goose!  Have a lovely combination of the "Keep Calm" motto and Mr. Darcy.  Yes, I know it, I spoil you rotten.  You're welcome. :)
Do you write short or long letters?  Do you love getting long letters?  Or not?  Why?
Comment away, dear readers!

Envelopes (Part 2)

Oh, hai!
Glad you are back for part 2!
So here are 2 ways you can make your own envelopes:
Method 1:
This is stupid easy.

Yon sheet of 8.5x11 paper

Fold the bottom up, so that about an inch or so is left at the top

Tape the sides and fold over the remaining inch.  TA DAA!

Method 2:
A bit more involved, but completely worth it.

Start with a large template.  I chose my favorite envelope size
and unfolded it, then traced it to make this pattern.

Reduce the pattern by whatever percentage you like by
using a copier.  I am using the 50% reduction.  The finished
envelope will measure 3" long x 2" high.

Trace the template onto your envelope paper.

Make sure you trace the fold lines from corner to corner.
Cut out along the outer tracing line.

Fold inward along the guidelines. Run a line of glue along the
bottom most edge.  It will be the one with the squared off point.

All done!

Here is the front.  This size will hold one ounce of loose leaf tea.

Here are two made from wrapping paper scraps.  The full size
one is the 50% size, and the smaller one is made from a 30%
reduction.  

I used the full size template for this one.  Here is the outside...

And a rather surprising inside! ;)

I hope that helps to inspire you!  I'm off to get ready for the Cute Gremlin's spring break. :)
I would love to see what sorts of envelopes you make, readers!

Envelopes (Part 1)

It's my opinion that a letter's contents ought to arrive in style.  It's awesome to get a personal letter in among the usual fare that arrives in the daily mail.  Who among us doesn't mentally go "Bill.Junk.Junk.Bill.Junk.A LETTER!Bill.Junk." as we flip through the contents?  (Just me? No?  I didn't think so.)  But a plain envelope, however distinctive against the business filler surrounding it, just doesn't cut it for me when I'm sending out to a pen friend.  No.  I want them to notice it immediately.

Until recently, I haven't had a lot of spare time to invest in making my own envelope/mail art.  And usually when I do, the size is "off", so that means a tiny hike in postage... which I'm having to monitor a bit closely for the time being, whilst I get my financials in order and more secure.  But I'm slowly getting around to using those paper scraps in the studio for some amazing new envies. :)

I've decided to divide today into two posts because I wanted to show you some of the past pieces I have made and sent, but I also want to do a photo filled tutorial on how to make your own.  So here we go with the:

Stuff I've Made:

A simple tri-fold made from a calendar page,
but one of my favorites!

Scrapbook paper and stickers.  That's all it takes. 

All 23 envies for my first LetterMo last year.
 Made from calendar pages.

I love ships and the sea, so this is obviously a fav. :)

Kendall has gotten some of my best envie art.
She's an Alice fan, so I took a mini pack of
cards I had, and some cut outs of Disney's
madness and created this.

Alice envie back

As I said, some of the best ones have gone to Kendall.  She's a
massive Harry Potter fan, so I got some HP scrapbook paper (that's
a Gryffindor crest on the front there), made my own owl "postage"
and even ran it through the printer for a faux "owl post" postmark
stamp.  The back had all kinds of Quidditch stickers and art, and
the actual missive was written with quill and ink on parchment.
The Alice and HP letters were a couple of months apart, I think.
The envies behind the HP were made using calendar pages.

Character Post

During the LetterMo challenge, the participants could earn different "achievement badges".  If you ventured to a new postbox drop-off location, for example, or sent a birthday or valentine greeting, you'd get to display your achievement for the rest of the LetterMo community to admire/envy/mirror with their own.

 One such achievement that I couldn't stand to NOT earn was the "Austen Style" badge.  This puppy could only be earned if you emulated Jane Austen herself and broke out the parchment, quill, ink bottle and wax seal, finally sending the letter folded up as its own envelope.  Bonus points if you wrote it in early 19th C language/subject matter.  I sent out a few- three, to be precise- but none of them as Lucy Jane or in 19th C character.  I just couldn't break into the time travel for some reason.  (Where's a Tardis when you really need one?  I ask you.)  But my usual vocabulary/style of writing leans to the old fashioned as a habit, so they really weren't that bad.

One of the three was replied to, in Regency character!  How could I not answer it back in kind*??  Finally, with her help, I had unlocked whatever the previous thing was that had blocked my writer's imagination.  Using this fantastic resource on my hometown area in the late 1700s/early 1800s, I was able to flesh out Lucy Jane more than I have ever done, and really develop her backstory and history.  It was marvelous fun to blend historical fact with fiction!  My creative brain, rather starved for that sort of exercise and entertainment of late, just bloomed with one scene and timeline possibility after another until I think I may have enough to write a novel if I get it all down on paper. (NaNoWriMo, anyone?!)  I always told myself I would never be a writer.  I'm a terrible liar to myself.  I'm not saying it will get published or make it to the NY Best Seller list, but who says it has to?  I'm enjoying it. :)

Here are a couple of photos of my "Austen Style" offerings.  I can't wait for Charlotte's next letter!

Have you ever sent a letter as a character? I'd love to hear about it!

*Although I have been SUPER busy lately and have not updated the website and/or blog in a few months, most of you know that I have a creative outlet under a pseudonym/character called Lucy Jane.  If you are new here, follow the link to see "her" wares. :)

For A Fellow Creative...

I'm a member of the Letter Writer's Alliance.  In their blog the other day, they featured The Laser Lace Letters, a wonderful creative adventure of Steampunk fiction by laser cut felt artist Haley Moore.

Just one of the beautiful cameos in the series.

This is an AMAZING project (that I wish I was rich enough to pledge the max support of, but alas, am not.)  She only has 10 hours left in the Kickstarter and is very close to her goal!  Please consider helping her fund it!

UPDATE: With 5 hours to go, she reached the goal and the project has been funded!  I am SO EXCITED for you, Haley!